Testing and Reports of Composite Panel specumens

The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) has issued a sole-source contract, solicitation N0042125R0042, to the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) at Wichita State University for the testing and reporting of composite panel specimens. The primary objective is the material testing and qualification of AMS 3970 production prepreg material to generate statistically valid material allowables in accordance with MIL-HDBK-17. This effort aims to validate data equivalence with original datasets to standardize composite repair practices and expand repair capabilities across Naval Aviation platforms. The contract has an estimated total value of 2,000,000 dollars, consisting of a 1,000,000 dollar base contract and a 1,000,000 dollar option, funded through Fiscal Year 2025 Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDTE) funds. The period of performance is two years from the date of award. Sole-source justification under 10 U.S.C. 3204(a)(1) is based on NIAR's exclusive access to the original AMS 3970 qualification data and the high technical risk and unacceptable delays that would result from attempting to replicate this data with another source. Technical performance will occur primarily at the NIAR facility in Wichita, Kansas, with materials fabricated by the Fleet Readiness Center East in Cherry Point, North Carolina. Final inspection and acceptance of the test reports and material allowable calculations will be managed by NAWCAD in Patuxent River, Maryland. The award is predicated on NIAR's unique institutional knowledge of NCAMP and NAWCAD requirements and its specialized capability to ensure the technical integrity of aerospace material certifications.